Web directories have long been one of the most popular methods for webmasters to build links to their website. Webmasters simply needed to submit their site to a directory, wait for it to be included and then reap the benefits from such “link building” - but, now everything has changed.

Everyone caught on to the value of directories and as a result, the overwhelming majority of directories became useless. Directories that were primarily for search engine optimization (SEO) and featured little human editorial input have ruthlessly been culled from the Google index. Lots of these directories still exist and still charge for links, but those doing business with them will likely never get a return on their investment. How, then, can you tell if a directory is worth your time?

If you are trying to gauge whether or not a directory is worth your time, browse through the site and find the page where your listing (or the page of an actual similar listing) would reside on the page. Copy the URL onto your clipboard and then search for that URL in Google or Yahoo. If the URL is found in the search engine index, this is usually a strong indicator that a link to your site will actually pass you link building benefit. If the page is not being indexed by the search engines, chances are it will never be a worthwhile component of your link building strategy.

Thus, choose your web directories carefully and the benefits will be tremendous. You’ll have more time and money to spend on worthwhile directories while not wasting a second on building links that will never pass any value or SEO credit to your website.